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Best Trails

San Luis Obispo, CA

Bishop Peak Trail is a 2.8 mile out and back trail located near San Luis Obispo, California and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is accessible year-round. Not recommended for bikes.

NUDE BEACH! There, the warnings were too far down and I hiked in unaware.

The cave was OK but the beach itself was beautiful and alive. There were sea lions, crabs, starfish, and more. The first half of this track is a paved path through a gated community. The Avila Sea Caves has a parking lot closer to the caves if you want to start out closer to the beach.

This is the perfect time of year for this trail and the butterflies are here, so go if you can! The staff is generally very friendly and helpful. Me and a couple of friends were just staring up at the butterfly hives when the lead docent came over donned in a huge hat and a butterfly-imprinted ascot and just started talking about butterfly behavior. And how sometimes the male butterflies drag female butterflies down to the ground and have sex with them in a way that can only be described as rape. Well, uh, yeah.... Anyways, the butterfly grove is best viewed during the day, but walking out to the beach is best during sunset, the trees along the beachfront look really cool in sunset silhouette.

The Bluffs area of Shell Beach and its walking path is a perfect warm-up walk for the hike up what my partner and I call 'hell hill' (above Pirate's Cove parking area) which leads to the top of one of the best views of Avila Beach all the way south towards Point Sal. Hell Hill is a stair stepping climb of a hill of approx 400+ yards. At the top, the trail to the left is a loop that will shunt you into the Sycamore Mineral Springs route on a rather rough trail. The trails to the right and forward will lead you to well maintained Sycamore Springs trail or you can keep heading right and uphill along the ridge towards the Microwave WiFi Stations and then you are on the so called "Twin Peaks Trail" actually it is officially the Ontario Ridge trail/loop on a map. You can begin the Ontario- Twin Peaks loop at the corner of El Portal Drive and Shell Beach Road. It's a killer climb that way too. Your reward is the view; and the views are spectacular, and of course, a great workout. Make sure you take plenty of water and have a great pair of hiking boots/shoes. I've seen people walking with flip-flops on and this really is NOT the hike to flip-flop around on.